VELO6: Cycling Meets Coffee

Hidden in alleyway amongst the sprawling jungle of concrete in Central, Hong Kong is VELO6, Hong Kong’s first-ever cycling café. Their name is derived from vélo, which is the French word for bicycle. The number six, on the other hand, has dual meanings. The first is the more obvious, being an adaption of the house number from their address; it also represents the founders of the café, all six of whom worked in different industries but found common ground through their shared passion for cycling.

“Don’t just think of cycling as a physical activity,” says William Hui, one of the co-founders of VELO6. “It’s a lifestyle, akin to drinking coffee and watching films. It’s very closely tied to our day-to-day life.” His impassioned thoughts on cycling being closely integrated with everyday life are channeled through VELO6. Ultimately, he hopes that this café can help him spread his love of cycling to even more people. “It’s not just an exercise, it’s a culture and lifestyle.”

Being located off On Wo Lane, away from the hustle and bustle of Central, VELO6 is a quiet oasis away from the frantic hustle and bustle of the city; the surrounding trees and greenery adding to the sense of tranquility. Even with no seats in the café, there was a considerable amount of people swinging during my visit, most dropping by to grab a quick cup of coffee and chat with other cycling enthusiasts. During the hour I spent with Hui, I met many patrons who were visiting from other countries, all equally enthused to have a place to chat about biking, coffee, and more. “This was the idea when we established this café,” says Hui. “We wanted to provide a space where bicycle lovers could meet up and shoot the breeze.”

Brian Fu is one of the other co-founders and widely regarded by many as being the godfather of Hong Kong’s fixed-gear scene. Having previously lived in the States where the fixed-gear scene was more established, Brian had an early interest in fixies. In 2005, when fixed-gear bicycles were still not well known in Hong Kong, Brian ordered his first fixed-gear bike off the web. But as the Hong Kong scene was nearly non-existent at the time, he had a difficult time finding others who were interested in fixies. This led Brian to start a blog dedicated to fixed-gear cycling. He spent countless hours gathering up-to-date information to share on the blog. The blog began brewing interest and was vital in cultivating the Hong Kong fixie scene. But despite the growing interest at the time, there weren’t any physical stores in Asia that sold fixed-gear bikes with the exception of one location in Japan. This, in turn, led Brian to open the first-ever fixed-gear store in Hong Kong, which also became the second-ever physical location in all of Asia.

“I’m interested in introducing things into Hong Kong that people haven’t seen before,” Brian says. “VELO6 is a good example of this. There’s been many cycling-related cafés in Asia, but Hong Kong lacked one. So I wanted to bring one in and let people know that riding bicycles is something easily approachable and can be a part of your daily life.”

Aligned with Brian’s affinity for setting precedents in Hong Kong, VELO6 uses a 70-year-old espresso machine created by the Italian brand Elektra. “There’s no other place in Hong Kong with this vintage espresso maker,” he proudly says. “Whatever Hong Kong is missing, we want to bring it over and make it available.”